Forever & Always
by hopefulromanticx
Summary: Annabeth never thought her life would really start the day she died. She knew Edward and her were meant to spend an eternity together. Will a new girl ruin the fragile bond they've made? Will Annabeth ever get her happily ever after? Edward/OC fanfic!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

I feel cold on the alleyway concrete. I was losing feeling and I know I'm going to die. I just wish I would have told everyone how much I care about them. My poor mother would be so heart broken when she saw my body all bruised up and bloody. I start getting angry thinking of who had done this to me. Andrew McKinley. Then the flashback comes back to me.

_Andrew is following me down the empty street. I know him so I'm not too worried; maybe he wants to just talk and couldn't get his guts up enough to start talking. He closes in on me and grabs my arm harshly and pulls me into the alleyway. I'm not smart enough to scream, I can't imagine what he was thinking of doing to me, of doing to innocent me. I think maybe he doesn't want anyone around so he could talk to me better, he is really cute. Once I am deep inside the alleyway he shoves me against a huge metal dumpster and he pins my arms. The coldness of the dumpster touches my bare shoulders that aren't covered by the sundress I am wearing. _

_I begin to have fear and I look into his eyes and he has a fire in his eyes, a scary fire. The fire sends chills up my back. I'm about to scream but he crushes his lips against mine and forces his tongue inside of it. I let out a muffled cry but no one can hear. I fight and fight trying to break free but I'm not strong enough. He rips my dress revealing me in only my underwear. I fight again and he hits me across my face and his arms grip tighter to my arms bruising them easily. My tears fall faster but I won't give up, not yet. When he releases one arm to rip my bra I scratch him and keep scratching. He hasn't ripped my bra but he grabs my arms and he pulls me away from the dumpster for a second then he throws me back against it hard and my head hits it last and the hardest. If he would have hit a little lower he would have killed me then. I try screaming again but his lips silence my scream. He eventually rips off my underwear and he rapes me. When he was done he throws me to the concrete, breaking me even more and he leaves. He leaves me like I'm just a piece of used garbage. _

He leaves me here to die. Tears begin falling again and I can't move. I'm thinking it's definitely the end, and then a man shows up. He is beautiful. He has blonde hair, amber eyes and pale, porcelain skin. He kneels down beside me and brushes the hair from my face.

"You are going to be okay," he whispers and I believe him.

He bends down and then I feel the pain, excruciating pain in my neck. I know he is biting my neck and I want to scream but nothing comes out I'm too weak.

He finally pulls away but I feel the burning running through my veins. My tears continue to fall and I squirm trying to relief some of the pain. Then, everything goes black.

I wake up in a new room, everything so clear and defined. I can hear the conversation going on downstairs about when "the girl" wakes up they are taking her hunting and I realize that they are probably talking about me. I sit up and realize I was sleeping on a white leather couch. The room is surrounded by windows, and there is a huge music and book selection. I decide I should probably go downstairs.

When I walk down the stairs I notice everyone turning to me. They are all beautiful. I see the man who had bitten me, but somehow saved me at the same time. He has his arms around the waist of a beautiful brunette that radiates warmth and happiness from her smile. I see a beautiful blonde with long wavy hair and the essence of a model. She smiles with a smile that was small but friendly. Beside the blonde stands a muscular male with short, brown, curly hair. The muscular male has this huge smile on his face. I can tell they are a couple, and they make a beautiful couple. Beside them is another couple. The girl has short, pixie-like, dark hair and she is short. She has a perfect smile on her face. She is in the arms of a guy with wavy blonde hair that goes to about his chin. He has a perfect smirk on his face and I find them rather adorable. Lastly, I find my eyes lock with another's. He is the most beautiful out of them. He has a half smile on his face and his beautiful bronze hair is tousled. I can't help but smile to them. All of them have dark, gold eyes.

"Hello, Annabeth." The man who saved me speaks in a musical tone. "I'm Carlisle and this is my family." He says and begins introducing everyone to me. "I guess you should know, you aren't a human anymore."

I look to him confused, but I hadn't felt like a human, not since I woke up.

"I couldn't save you except for this option." Carlisle continues.

"What option?" I ask and my voice sounds a little bit different than I was used to it sounding. I look around but no one is giving anything away. I meet Edward's eyes and he looks confused. Then I go back to Carlisle.

"You are a vampire Annabeth. I changed you, and I understand if you are upset with me. I was just trying to save you. You can leave too if you want but I want to explain something to you." Carlisle says. I wasn't angry, I had wanted to be saved and I didn't blame Carlisle for doing just that. I was alive, in a way. I nod allowing him to continue. "We aren't like other vampires. We don't hunt humans. We hunt animals. It is a lifestyle decision. It doesn't make us as strong as we could be by drinking human blood but it does make us feel a little better about what we are." Carlisle says and I nod, urging him to continue. "I'm not forcing you to stay Annabeth. We hope you will, but I will not ask you to do something you do not wish." Carlisle says. "You will need to feed soon, so it would be best to make your decision quickly."

I can feel the dryness of my throat now, I was been blocking it out I guess. I had my shield up not sure if I could trust them but now I know I can. I look at their smiling faces, and Edward doesn't have the confused look on his face any longer. They are asking me to stay with them. They are going to help me not be so much of a monster. They want me to be a part of their family, how can I say no?

I smile. "I want to stay." I say and look to Carlisle. "And I'm not mad, I wanted to be saved and you saved me. I owe you my life Carlisle." I say and Carlisle's smile grows. The second I finish warm arms wrap around me in an embrace. I notice it is Esme and I feel safe in her motherly arms. She releases me after a kiss on my forehead and Alice has danced over and now has her arms around me.

"We are going to be close," she whispers and smiles to me. I look to her and smile.

Then Emmett rushes to me and lifts me off the ground and hugs me. He is like a giant teddy bear. Rosalie gives me a quick but friendly hug and so did everyone else.

"Let's go show newbie here how hunting is done," Emmett smiles big. I smile and we start leaving the house.

I catch my reflection in a mirror on my way out. I touch my porcelain skin as my reflection mirrors my actions. I see my blonde hair has turned really curly and is made from perfect ringlets. My skin is pale but flawless. My features are the same except my lips are a little bit fuller. My eyes are a tad bit bigger, my eyebrows are perfectly done, and my eyes are bright red, not amber like the Cullens'. No one would notice the difference, you can still see it is me, but a little more beauty is added to me. I stare at my eyes, not able to get over their color. Edward shows up behind me and puts a hand on my shoulder gently. His hug was a little distant when everyone was hugging me earlier, but I can still feel the warmth in that hug.

"They'll change in a little bit," he says as if knowing that I had been thinking of my eyes.

I look to him in the reflection and I smile. "I'll race you." I smile playfully.

He raises an eyebrow and gives me his perfect half smile, "You're on!" He smiles and then he runs out.

I chase him and then I pass him quickly catching up to my new family. Running feels like flying, and I love the feeling of it.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

It's been months since the change. Today, all of us are going to Forks High School for the first day. Of course it will be everyone's first day but we are the new kids in a small town, people will be talking. They will probably be talking for weeks. I've discovered I have gifts like the rest of my family. I am super fast, vampires are fast anyways but I'm exceptionally fast. I also have the ability to block anyone out of my head, which drives Edward the craziest.

We pull up to the average high school. There are people talking in the parking lot. Others are rushing off to class. It is cloudy today, of course, Forks is always cloudy. The school is surrounded by trees, so that's nice. But, other than that, it doesn't look really welcoming. I just keep thinking about all the voices that are going to be talking about our arrival and all the stares we are going to get.

When we walk into the school, all eyes turn to us. This was expected, of course, it's part of our making, to be beautiful, to draw people in, and to get them to stare at us admiringly. When we walk down the hall everyone clears the way for us. I look to Rose and she smiles to me, obviously enjoying the attention. I look at Emmett, who was beside Rose and he seems to enjoy it as well. Alice has a smile on her face, as usual. Edward, who has a tight hold on my arm because he is worried I'm not strong enough to not want to kill the whole school, seems a bit uncomfortable but he is used to the attention. Jasper is the only one I could relate to about being uncomfortable. He has a harder time than I do on resisting the thirst. I smile to him a little and he returns the favor.

We go to the office and get our schedules. All of my classes I am with Edward, Alice or Jasper, and this makes me less nervous. Edward won't let go of my arm until it's time for us to part ways when I go to my first period class. Even after he lets go he gives me his worried look as he walks away from me. Alice loops her arms around mine but it's not like the way Edward did, she knows I'm not going to crack and kill everyone. Alice smiles to me as we walk to class.

"I'm excited," she chimes, "so many new people." I smile at this comment. Alice always is so optimistic and cheery. She probably can't tell that I was so nervous and I hated all the attention we got. I'm not used to all the attention, I wasn't ugly before but I wasn't this attractive. Also, I was shy; I hardly talked to anyone until I got to know them better. I am nowhere close to being used to the attention, I might never get used to it.

Lunch came slow, but I was happy for all of us to finally be together. I'm not used to not being with everyone. I mean usually we aren't together all the time, but it was relieving for all of us to be together at one table all enduring the stares together. Of course, some of us enjoy it more than others but we are still going through it together. I feel stronger with them around me. Looking at Jasper makes me a little bit more relieved, he looks as miserable as I do. Edward grips my arm tightly and I turn to look at him. _I'm fine. _I think to him but the worry doesn't fade.

I look around the oddly quiet cafeteria. Everyone is watching us, and if they aren't they have been watching us. The cafeteria is pretty plain with white walls. It kind of reminds me of one of those zoo exhibits, where the animal is locked in there and has to take everyone staring at it. That's how I feel, locked up and for watching purposes only. Of course the cafeteria doesn't have the trees or "natural habitat" that the exhibit usually holds, but it still has the same feeling.

"It's supposed to be sunny tomorrow," I say softly, the whole cafeteria was practically quiet just wondering what we were going to do or say.

"We'll be going camping tomorrow," Edward says softly as well. I nod and smile.

"I'm going to go get some food," I say and I stand up. Edward stood up with me still holding my arm and the worry increases. I sigh. "Some of the salad over there," I point, "relax, Edward, you worry too much." I smile and he reluctantly lets go and sits back down. I have to admit I love Edward being protective over me, but he needs to trust me and he needs to know how far he was supposed to go to protect me. I don't need to be held tightly like a child at a fair, tempted to run away. But I love Edward, I would never tell him that I love him, it would just confuse things, and I know he doesn't feel the same. I mean who could ever love me?

When I was getting my salad a boy with blonde hair drops a fork on the floor. I quickly bend down and pick it up for him. He goes down though as well so I can't just jump back up. "Here," I smile, I hand it to him, and his scent rushes into my nose. It smelt sweet, like chocolate, with a little tinge of rust and pine. Oh how I missed chocolate. I stand back up (normal human speed) and he does as well.

"Thanks, you're one of the new girls right?" He smiles big and foolishly. He is already drawn in, if it isn't by my looks it is by my smell. I bite the bottom of my lip and nod. Biting my bottom lip is always a habit of mine when I get nervous. "What's your name?" He asks and he moves a little bit closer, his scent increasing as he does this. _He's a human, not an animal. Don't crack Annabeth. He's like Kyle, you would never hurt Kyle. _I think and the desire weakens a little bit.

Kyle had been my best friend when I was alive. I told everything to him. He was like the brother I never had; he protected me and loved me. Maybe I even loved him, but we were doomed at a chance of a romance, we fought almost as much as we got along. Not to mention the change, I think for sure he would notice the difference if he ever saw me again.

"I'm Annabeth," I smile and he inches closer. _I really wish he would stop doing that. _

"I'm Mike," he introduces himself and it seems as if he's contemplating on moving closer or sticking out his hand for me to shake. I wish for the moving closer but he does both. Edward shows up beside him and looks as intimidating as ever. I smirk up to him but I take Mike's hand hoping it will make Edward a little bit jealous. I pull my hand away. "Woah, your hand is really cold." Mike states and Edward glares at me but I just smirk up to him. Then I smile to Mike.

"Yeah, I'm anemic," I say. "It was nice meeting you." I say and I turn away. I think about being graceful like Alice and beautiful like Rose so maybe it looks better when I walk, like I belong with these beautiful creatures.

As I walk away I hear Mike mumble a "you too" and I sit back down right as the lunch bell rings. I stand up and I start walking toward the door in the cafeteria, I don't wait because I think Edward will catch up to me. Instead of Edward though, Japer and Alice come up beside me. I smile to myself, proud that I was able to handle the situation and drive Edward a little bit mad all at the same time.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Edward is waiting for me against his Volvo. When I walk up to him and smile he doesn't smile back, he just gets in the car and turns it on. I sigh and get in the passenger seat. He starts pulling out and I ask him where Alice and Jasper are. They rode with us this morning.

"They are riding with Emmett." He says as if that explains everything. I lean into the seat, not wanting to go through this and wishing I had rode with Emmett. Edward is going to lecture me. I put my feet on the dashboard, making myself comfortable and I stare out the front window waiting for him to start. He presses harder on the accelerator and he turns the opposite way of home. I turn to look at him, trying to read him. I know he is going to lecture me, why couldn't he just do it now, without the silence and then it would be less painful.

"Home is that way," I point my finger behind my head, desperate for him to speak to me but he just nods. I slide lower in the seat as he flies through the winding road to the forest. He finally stops the car and he rushes out. I watch as he stands against a tree, looking down into civilization in the valley of the hill he drove up. I sigh and decide to go out there and try to get this over with.

I close the door and walk over to him (at human speed because I wasn't really in a rush). "Edward…" I whisper when I get close. I wish I could just touch him. He turns to me quickly and grabs my arm. This isn't in a protective way like the other touches had been; this one is full of frustration.

"What were you doing today?" Edward glares at me and I step backward. "You could have blown everything! What were you thinking being so close to him? Touching him?" Edward's words are cold and I cower a little. "You could have ruined everything; he could have realized you were strange. You could have been tempted to bite him."

"But I wasn't!" I decide to fight back. "And I came up with something about my cold skin."

"You were so irresponsible today, Annabeth," Edward says and his hold on my arm loosens a little like he's pulling back.

"Irresponsible?" I say. "I picked up a fork for him and introduced myself! I was being polite! Excuse me for not trying to seem rude. We do have to spend two more years at that school. You'd think that with a century of living you'd have better manners!" I say and pull my arm away. Edward looks down; my words seem to have hurt him. I instinctively move closer to him and touch his arm. His eyes meet mine. "You don't have to worry about me so much Edward." I practically whisper. "I love that you are so protective of me, but I have a little bit of self control." I say and Edward touches my arm.

"I feel like I need to protect you, Annabeth. It was like when you were so close to him, it drove me crazy. I was so worried and you scared me. I thought for sure you blew it when you touched his hand." Edward says moving closer. "But you're right; I need to trust you more. You coming up with anemia as a reason was brilliant." He has his amazing half smile on now and I can't help but smile back. I wanted to kiss him but I wouldn't dare risk the relationship we have. He pulls me in for a hug and I hold him tight, not wanting to let go. "I'm not sure how quickly I'll be able to stop my protectiveness over you, but I'll try." He whispers to me, not releasing me.

"I don't want it to go away," I whisper into his chest. He kisses the top of my head and gently brushes my hair. We stand there for moments, perfect moments, and then I pull away. "We better get home," I smile up to him. "Carlisle said we were going hunting when he got home." I prance over to the car and I open the passenger door. I smile at Edward and then in a second he's in the car cranking it up. I jump in and look to him. "You know I'm going to catch bigger game then you, right?" I smile to him.

He laughs, "Pft, you wish." He says and he flies back onto the winding road. I smile to him and I just watch as he drives us back home.

I am in my room. I love my room. Esme set up a hammock that overlooked the wooded area outside of the house. The room is mostly windows and the other walls are blue (my favorite color). I have all of my music (modern stuff that Edward says has nothing on the classics) on a shelf beside the flat screen TV (which I hardly watch except to watch movies). My favorite spot in the room is the hammock but I also love the spot where Esme set up that I could paint (it overlooks the woods too). I also love my desk. It is where I write. Esme designed my room perfectly for me.

I am lying on the hammock watching the birds chasing each other when I hear someone knocking on my door. "Come in," I say. The door opens and Alice dances into my room.

She runs her fingers over a sunset picture I had painted yesterday. "This is new," She says and I nod. "It's beautiful."

I smile, "Thank you."

"I had a vision about you," she says as she lies down on the hammock with me, "and Edward."

I look to her quickly. "What?"

She smiles, "Don't worry he doesn't know I've seen it. He's been preoccupied with other thoughts of mine." She hits me lightly, "You're going to kiss him sometime."

I smile at the thought but then I shoot up and glare at her. "I don't want you watching my future Alice!" She laughs and Jasper appears. I sit up and Alice does the same. Jasper sits beside Alice. "I mean it Alice, no more of me being the subject of your future watching." Jasper smirks. "And Jasper you should not be encouraging her," I say, "I thought you were better than that."

Jasper smiles even bigger, "You know as much as I try, no one can stop Alice when she has her mind set on something." I couldn't help but smiling, that was so true.

"I mean it Alice, I don't want to know," I say and then I lean my head on her shoulder and she leans her head on top of mine.

**A/N: Sorry for the late update. I was trying to debate on whether to continue this, but I decided to. (: Reviews would be nice. (: Thanks, Courtney.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

More months have passed and nothing much has changed. Time just goes on, and like Rose says, we stay frozen.

It's early February now, and a new student arrived. Her name is Bella. Edward is drawn to her like a moth to a flame. He is drawn to her because he can't hear her thoughts and he says her smell is intoxicating. He left for Alaska the day after her first day and he stays with the Denali coven. He went from one temptation, to another. Tanya is beautiful, and she is interested in Edward. She wants him, the way I want him and she is far more beautiful than I.

I met the Denalis a month after my transformation, they are great friends of ours, and they are kind. Tanya is nice too, and that's another reason why I am so jealous of her. She's never lost her temper, not that I have seen, and I always blow up and get angry. Edward is probably romantically entangled with her at this moment.

I'll admit it, I'm the jealous type. Whether it's a human from his biology class, or a perfect immortal in Alaska, I get jealous of any girl around him that has his attention. I'm nothing special, I've never really been, but it still doesn't take away what I feel for him and that I want him to kiss me and tell me that I'm special.

That being said, it's still ridiculous that Edward drops everything for a human. He just took off and left. He didn't even tell me face to face, he was gone before I got home. He just left, he just left me.

"Edward is home!" Alice chimes and dances into my room. I shrug and continue painting the picture of the graceful deer in the woods. Of course I'm happy to hear the news but I don't want to show it. Alice understands me, she gets that I don't want to show my feelings for Edward and that's why she leaves my room without another comment.

Edward will be up here any minute once he realizes I'm not part of the welcoming party. He'll act like nothing is the matter when truth is, I'm so angry and jealous and sad all at once. So, until then I'm going to continue painting.

I am right, it is less than five minutes and he already makes himself comfortable on my hammock. He doesn't speak yet though, he just watches me.

"So, I couldn't help but notice you didn't come downstairs to welcome me home," he says and I can hear the smile across his face but I don't turn away from my painting. I continue my strokes. "If I didn't know any better, I would think you weren't happy to see me." I continue my strokes, not letting him in, not letting him get any emotion out of me. That's what he wants. He wants to know what I'm thinking, he wants me to get all emotional and jealous.

I hear him stand and he walks over to me. He stands behind me and brushes my upper arm. "Talk to me Annabeth, let me in, do something," he whispers to me and I know he's won. I'm going to get emotional. Ever fiber inside of me is yelling _he left you, he left you. _

I pull myself together and I stand up and turn to him. "How was Denali? Or, should I ask, how was _Tanya_?" I say calmly, and emotionless. "I'm sure you two had a lovely time." I stare into his eyes; they are a dark gold; he must not have hunted for days. I don't move my eyes away from his, I don't even blink.

"It was _lovely_," he annunciates my word back at me darker. "We had a chance to catch up on a few things. We hadn't seen each other in forever." He played back, he wasn't giving in.

I shrug, "that's great," I plaster a fake smile on my face. "Just let me know when the wedding is and I'll get you a fabulous wedding present. Tanya likes china sets right?" I say and I turn back to look at my painting. I notice I had messed up the tree bark in one spot, if you stare at it you can notice it.

Edward grabs my arm and spins me toward him, pulling me closer. "There isn't going to be a wedding Annabeth," he whispers and his eyes stare into mine, searching them.

"Oh, what a shame," I say sarcastically.

He leans closer to me and it almost makes me go weak in the knees but I remember that I'm mad at him. "What's wrong Annabeth?" he whispers in a sweet, tempting tone.

"You left me!" I shout, and I realize he cracked me. "You don't get to come back and be this perfect, sweet tempting guy! You left with just a two sentence note to explain yourself!"

Edward looks down, "I know," he merely whispers. "I didn't – I don't know how to explain it." He looks to me desperately.

"Then don't!" I spit at him. I run to my walk-on deck and I jump down to the forest floor. "I'm going out!" I yell back to him. "Don't even think about following me Edward!"

I run faster than I ever have in my life. I feel so free when I run, but I decide to stop in a clearing. I lay on the soft grass and I stare up to the stars.

I sense someone watching me and I sit up. On the edge of the clearing a man stands with a huge smirk on his face. I recognize him as a man from a long time ago or maybe a nightmare. Andrew McKinley.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

He walks closer and closer to me. I stand ready to attack. There's no possible way he could be here. There's no way he could be a vampire. I must be dreaming. I tremble as he is only feet away from me.

"Don't worry Annabeth," he says calmly, "I'm not going to hurt you."

Instantly, at the end of his words, I feel calm. It was like Jasper was here but he wasn't.

He steps closer, but he's not the man who had attacked me anymore. He's just a beautiful, friendly, stranger.

All of a sudden the forest disappears and I'm in Paris on top of the Eiffel Tower. I had always wanted to go to Paris, but I never have gone. He takes my hand and his blood red eyes don't move from mine. It's like I'm frozen in place, out of control of my own body.

"Look at you, Annabeth, you are beautiful," he says in a more tempting voice and all of a sudden Paris fades away and in place of it, we stand in a room full of mirrors. There is nothing in the room but mirrors and they are everywhere, reflecting our image.

The hand that holds mine doesn't move, but the other brushes my cheek with its palm. I enjoy the warm touch. I want to close my eyes but I can't. They are stuck to his, not able to close.

"Dance with me Annabeth." He commands but his voice holds the most temptation out of all of the other statements.

The room full of mirrors fades behind me and we are in a giant, luxurious ballroom. I am in a huge, red, princess gown. He is dressed in a black tuxedo. My hand that is covered in a long, white glove takes his and we start spinning. We spin faster and faster and the room blurs by us. Then he stops me. One of his hand goes to my waist. The other goes to my hair and brushes it gently. Then the hand goes to my chin and lifts it up.

"Kiss me Annabeth," he commands in a velvety voice. I lean closer but then something inside of me goes off. He isn't the one I want to kiss me. He isn't the one I want to be with. I shut myself out from the world, putting my blockers on and the ballroom collapses. We are standing in the forest now his hand on my chin still lifting it up. I can feel the other illusions crashing inside of me. It feels like parts of me are collapsing within myself.

I fall to the ground and warm, familiar arms wrap around me. I look up to see Alice holding me in her arms. I hear hissing and then I see Carlisle, Jasper and Emmett standing over me, hissing at Andrew. I see Rose, Esme and Emmett on the outside ready to attack. Andrew backs away slowly. Emmett jumps a little in his direction, not quite moving. Andrew runs out of the clearing and vanishes but not before I can catch the smile and look in his eye that tells me he'll be back. I lean into Alice's arms more deeply and she brushes my hair with her hand.

"It's okay Annabeth, you're safe now." She whispers soothingly, but she didn't see Andrew's face. She wasn't part of the illusions that controlled me. I wasn't safe, not as long as he was still out there.

I am lying in Jasper's arms in my hammock when Emmett appears in my room with a huge grin on his face.

"I'm on duty," he smiles and quickly he and Jasper switch places. I watch as Jasper gracefully leaves the room, he turns to smile at me at the door and then he closes it behind him.

I lay close to Emmett, "You know you don't have to baby sit me," I whisper.

He smiles and pulls me closer and in his arms. "I'm not babysitting," he smiles, "I'm spending time with my little sister."

His embrace is warm and cuddly. I had almost forgotten how amazing Emmett's embrace is. He is like a giant teddy bear. "Rose probably wants your company," I say, I didn't want him to feel like he needs to be here, even though I really want him here.

He pulls me closer to him, "Rose and I have already spent time together this evening," he says and I hear the smile in his voice. "Plus Rose is getting a little tired of my touchiness right now," he says and I look up at him as he winks at me. "It would be a good break."

I lean into him more and bury my face in his sculpted chest. "He's going to come back," I muffle into his chest. Emmett tightens his hold on me. "He's going to get to me again."

Emmett kisses the top of my head. "I'm not letting anyone get to you. No one is ever going to get to you again Annabeth." He whispers.

"Promise?" I say.

"I promise," he reassures me and he rubs my back with one of his hands. "Now relax little sis. You're safe."

I feel safe and warm in his arms. I let myself relax, and soon I am drifting into a peaceful, quiet, darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

I slowly open my eyes and I realize Emmett still has me in his arms. He must have felt me move because he clutches me a little tighter. I look up to him and smile.

"Welcome back, sleepy head," he smiles.

I stretch myself out. I look around and notice Rose is looking at my paintings. She touches each gently with her fingers as if feeling the strokes. Then she turns and smiles to me. I smile back. "How long was I out?" I ask Emmett.

"A day and a half," Emmett answers and he looks toward the window that is revealing the rainy daylight. That isn't good, vampires never really slept and I had slept for a day and a half. Something must have been wrong with me.

"You didn't have to stay," I say.

"I promised you I wasn't going to let anyone get to you. I wasn't going to risk breaking my promise." He says and a smile is drawn on his face. I hug him again and then pull away when I hear the door open.

"What about school?" I ask Emmett before looking to catch Jasper and Alice walking toward me. Jasper has his arm around her waist. Alice seems to be checking to make sure I'm up. Then I watch as she gets out of Jasper's arms for seconds and she dances to the door. "Esme! She's up!" Alice chimes. Esme is up in seconds and she rushes to my side taking me in a warm embrace.

"Everyone else went." Emmett answers and Esme pulls away but sits on a stool right by my side on the hammock. "Carlisle called the school and said we were sick." I nod understandingly.

"Carlisle said he wants to see you as soon as you wake up." Esme informs me.

I nod and I get up from the hammock. They all seem to have been worrying about me being light headed because when I stood they all went to a ready position to catch me. I giggle a little. "I'm fine. I'm just going to change and then I'm going to leave," I say walking to my dresser to pick out some clothes. I notice there are clothes that aren't mine in them. I turn to look at Alice and she has a sheepish little smile on her face. I pull up a modern, blue, flowy tank top and I wave it at Alice. "What is this?" I ask her and everyone laughs a little.

"I went shopping," she looks down, "I thought it would look great on you." She smiles suddenly not ashamed anymore. She dances over to me. "It would go great with these destroyed jeans," She lifts up a pair of new jeans she must have bought me. "And with this leather jacket," she says and raises up a chocolate colored leather jacket with her other hand. I look at her not having much effort to fight her off right now. "I tend to shop when I'm nervous." She smiles a little and everyone chuckles. I slowly take the jeans and the leather jacket, sighing. Everyone laughs. "Okay, you guys need to get out, I need to change." I say and they all smile and leave. I notice Rose wasn't with them. She disappeared. "Emmett!" I call and he stops at the door and turns to me. "Where's Rose?"

"She went out for a walk or something." He smiles and shrugs then pulls the door closed behind him. I change, brush my crazy hair, and I look to my hammock where I see a pair of ballet flats sitting. Alice must have snuck those over there. They are chocolate brown like the jacket. I sigh and put them on. I grab my bag and I go to the deck and I jump down and I run to the hospital.

When I get there Tyler is walking out and he almost bumps into me but misses me by inches.

"Tyler?" I ask and he looks up to me. He is looking a little down. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you didn't hear?" He says and I shake my head. "I had an accident, my van slipped on ice, I hit Bella's truck and I almost killed her."

"Was she between your van and the truck?" I ask and he nods. "Then how did it not kill her?" I ask not quite understanding. Everything points to her being squished between the two.

He shrugs his shoulders. "She told your dad that Edward had saved her. She wasn't even bleeding or anything. He must have slid her under the cars or something." He says and I suddenly understand. Of course she didn't get squished, Edward wouldn't allow that. Edward wasn't normal circumstances, I hadn't calculated an obsessed vampire into the mix. "Her dad swears that he's taking my license." Tyler says and looks down.

I place my hand on his arm. "Bella probably wouldn't let that happen." I say and he nods a little. "I do have to go see my dad. I'll talk to you later." I walk into the hospital. I go past the front desk. "Hey Carmen! I'm going to see my dad, he's expecting me." I tell the secretary as I continue walking.

I stop when I see Carlisle, Rose and Edward having a discussion in the hallway. So that's where Rose went. There's no doubt she is as upset as I am about Edward saving Bella, maybe even more. Carlisle looks to another corridor and I notice Bella trying to listen in.

"Maybe we should move this to my office," Carlisle says and everyone seems to notice Bella now. Edward nods but he walks over to Bella. I show myself and I rush to Carlisle's side. I make sure Edward gets a glimpse of me and I glare at him. Carlisle takes me in a gentle embrace and kisses the top of my head. "It's good to see you are doing better," he whispers as he pulls away. I smile and Rose and I walk with him to his office. I turn back to see Edward in a serious conversation with Bella. _And he had called me irresponsible? He could have blown everything, he still could blow everything. _

When we get to his office and he closes the door. I slouch into one of his chairs and I face Rose and Carlisle. Rose starts to speak quickly. "Carlisle he could have blown everything! He stopped a car from hitting a human; he left a huge dent in the van. What he did was irresponsible and he needs to stop being so… involved with this human. It could get us all killed." Rose says and Carlisle nods.

"Edward is handling it Rosalie." Carlisle says.

"Handling it?" Rose sounds like she couldn't believe it. "That human saw what he is capable of. It is only a matter of time before she tells the whole town and we are getting hunted again. They don't care that we only eat animals, they will see us as monsters and huge rewards will be given just to have our heads or to watch us turn to ash." I cringe at her words. I hear the door open and close but I know Rose doesn't, she is too caught up. "The whole town is going to know because Edward can't let his precious human get a little hurt."

"She's not going to tell anyone," Edward's voice comes into the conversation. I look to him and he looks exhausted. He joins Carlisle and Rose, standing and makes it a triangle. "And she could have died. What was I to do? Let her!" He spits the last words to Rose and I cringe again. Rose doesn't fall back though.

"What is a puny human to our whole race Edward?" Rose glares at him and moves closer. "You might have ruined everything. And how can you know that she won't? Because she has told you? Ha! Now you are taking the word of a human." Rose seems to get even more upset. "We might as well just leave now. I mean Edward could stay because we all know he can't be without his human but we can leave before Edward's obsession gets us killed."

I am shocked that Carlisle let it get this far, usually he stopped fights; I guess he thought it was best to get everything out in the open. I had decided not to join in. I didn't feel like speaking, especially not to Edward, about this subject. I agreed with Rose, what he did was irresponsible even if it was to save a life. But instead of voicing my opinion, as Rose has done, I've cowered into this chair watching my family.

"She was sincere Rose." Edward says. "I know you can't ever trust anyone, but she was and I would never risk our family's safety."

"Well you already have." Rose bites back. "Look at Annabeth Edward!" She raises her voice and I shrink more in the chair. _Why did she have to point me out?_ I was fine just being invisible. Edward looks to me but doesn't meet my eyes. "She is fine, if you were wondering. I mean, I'm not sure you were, seeing as you didn't check on her once, and you spent your time obsessing over some human." Rose bites and Edward finally meets my eyes.

"Enough!" Carlisle declares. "Rose, enough." _Thank you Carlisle! _"Edward did what he thought was right at the time. He would never risk our family's safety purposely. Edward didn't see Annabeth because he probably didn't want to disturb her and probably had something on his mind. Now, we will finish this discussion at home, with everyone. Rose, you can leave now."

She turns on her heel and walks out of the room annoyed. The door opens again. "Dr. Carlisle, Mr. Swan would like you to sign off on Bella's release. It will only take a moment." Some guy I've never seen before says.

Carlisle smiles. "I'll be right there." The man leaves and Carlisle turns to me. "You two don't leave," he eyes me and Edward then he walks out.

I sink into the chair more. I bend my knees to my chest and wrap my arms around them. Edward sits in the chair beside me. Time moves slowly, just waiting for him to speak to me. I'm always waiting.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

After a while of silence, Edward speaks. "Annabeth, could you look at me?" He says softly and I shake my head. "Why don't you just ask the question you are dying to ask? Why don't you just tell me how irresponsible I was today? Why don't you just tell me that you hate me already? It would be better than the silence." He says and I agree, I was dying to talk to him, to ask him all of my questions, the silence was like torture.

"I don't hate you," I whisper and I unwrap my arms from my legs and straighten my legs. "And you were irresponsible. You called me irresponsible when all I did was touch Mike Newton's hand to introduce myself." I turn to face him and I meet his dark, golden eyes. "You, on the other hand, you jumped in front of a van, in broad daylight, to save some human you hardly know. You risked the existence of all of us for a stranger."

"Do you expect me to just let her die?" He says not taking his eyes from me.

"Would you have done it if it was any other human?" I counter. "What about Mike? Tyler? Or even Jessica?" He tenses but he still doesn't take his eyes from mine. He usually would have looked down, but strangely, he won't move from my eyes. "What if it was her fate? What if she was supposed to die in that parking lot today?" He tenses even more but I continue, "You can't go messing with fate Edward."

"It didn't feel right to let her die like that?" He says.

"It didn't feel right? You aren't God, Edward! You can't decide what the right way for someone to die is." I say.

He doesn't speak at first he just stares into my eyes. After moments he speaks, "What about the other question? The one I know you are dying for me to answer."

"It's not a question of mine anymore. I understand now. Even though Emmett held me in his arms for a day and a half, and everyone else visited me, I'm not important enough for you. I'm no human whose scent pulls you in, or a vampire from Denali who has loved you for years." I watch as he trembles a little. "I'm never going to be them."

Then the door opens and I turn away from him. Carlisle sits at his desk. "Edward, I just wanted to make sure you were okay." He says getting straight to it not worrying about what he just walked into. "I understand why you saved her, and I might have done the same thing if I was in your situation. You are welcome to stay; I am just going to discuss what happened the other night with Annabeth." He says and the door opens again. I sigh.

"Sorry, Doctor," the same man from before says, "Another doctor needs your opinion on something, it will be quick he promised." He informs and Carlisle nods and smiles to me.

"I'll be right back," he says and he walks out with the man.

We sit in silence for moments as if both of us were contemplating finishing the conversation we had started before. I hear Edward stand up. He walks over to me and he leans over so he is inches from my ear. "For the record," he whispers, "I never have wanted you to be Tanya or Bella." He whispers and kisses me gently on the ear. The kiss and his words are so gentle that it takes my breath away. The door opens and Edward leans back up. "I'm going to go home Carlisle." Edward informs.

"Okay, tell Esme we will be hunting tonight. Annabeth is looking a little hungry." Carlisle says. I watch as Edward nods and he rushes out. I watch as Carlisle leans against his desk in front of me. He looks so casual and at home in his office. He smiles down to me.

"I look that hungry?" I ask and he nods handing me a small mirror. I look at myself and see my eyes are pitch black. I hadn't even noticed my thirst. I smile to him and hand him the mirror back. "You know you have rotten timing right?" I smile.

His smile grows and he nods. "No more interruptions though, I have cancelled everything and said I needed to go home. When we walk out, look a little weak okay?" he winks and I smile bigger. "Now, it's time to hear your side of what happened Annabeth. I've heard what Edward heard in your thoughts and I've heard what Jasper felt. Of course those all stopped when you blocked everything out, but I would like you to start from the beginning." He says kindly and I nod.

I tell him everything I felt, everything I saw all the way up to me going to sleep because he had wondered what it felt like right before. He nods as I conclude my story. "Carlisle? What do you think happened? Why did I see all of those things?" I look to him worriedly.

"I think our friend Andrew has a gift of illusion making. He had access to your mind so he created his own images, making him not your attacker and taking you on a journey of your dreams." He says and I nod. "We will meet him again, I believe. He won't be able to take all of us into an illusion, I believe unless he is stronger than I think. But I'm pretty sure that he can't control all of us. You are the one he will most likely try to control so I need you to have your blockers on at all times when you are in the woods." I nod. "Okay, Annabeth, let's go home." He smiles and I smile back.

We walk through the hospital halls and people watch us leave. I can imagine what they are thinking. _There goes that brilliant Doctor Carlisle and his daughter. They are so beautiful. _

We get into Carlisle's car and he drives home. We come inside and everyone is already sitting in the living room. Everyone is sitting on the furniture, facing each other, and close. Edward is kind of on the outskirts of the group as if not wanting to piss anyone else off. Carlisle sits next to Esme on the sofa and she leans into him. I sit on the arm of the couch where Alice, Jasper and Rose were sitting. Emmett was sitting in the chair close to Rose and Edward was sitting on the chair farthest everyone.

"So, about what happened today," Carlisle begins and everyone looks to him, "I think it's best if we all vote on whether to stay in Forks or to leave. Before we vote I would like to say something. I would have done just as Edward has done, he saved someone's life, and he used his abilities for good to save a young girl's life today. We say that we don't want to be monsters, that is why we have our diet, but the first time one of us has a chance to save a human life, without changing them, we don't agree with it. Now Edward has talked to Bella, she isn't going to tell anyone what she saw, and he made up an excuse. That is all I have to say. Now those for leaving?" He says and I watch as Rose raises her hand and looks to Emmett but he puts a challenging smile on his face. Jasper slowly raises his as well. I look to Edward. If we left I might be able to escape Andrew, he wouldn't know where we went. If I left, Edward would be away from Bella and maybe he might start caring for me more. I take a deep breath but decide to not raise my hand. I saw how happy Carlisle was here; I wasn't going to take that away.

"I guess we are staying then." Carlisle says and smiles. "Does anyone have anything else they'd like to say?" He asks but no one speaks. "Well okay, we are going hunting at dark. But you all have some free time before then." He says and I rush out of the room and up to my room.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

I pull off my jacket and throw it onto my hammock. I go out to my deck and I stand on it, looking out as the sun begins to set. I lean against the railing. Then I jump onto the railing, testing my balance skills, I walk along it and then I jump down when I see shadows stop in front of my door. I quietly sneak to hear what is going on.

"Alice," Jasper's voice whispers. "You aren't mad about my voting choice are you?"

"No," Alice says and I can hear her smile through her voice. "I knew you were picking that." I hear her and Jasper move close together. Two others come up the stairs and walk past them, I'm assuming it was Rose and Emmett since that seems to be the direction they were heading. "You know Jasper, we have a few minutes before we have to go hunting. Would you like to accompany me to our room?" She asks and I can see the face she has on because I know her so well. She has a perfect smirk across her face and one eye brow is raised.

"It would be my pleasure m'am," and I can hear his smirk through his voice. They dance to their room as well.

One more person comes up the stairs. Edward. He stops in front of my room as if contemplating on coming in but he decides against it and he goes to the direction of his room. I walk out when I think it is clear and I head toward Carlisle and Esme's room. I wasn't sure why, but I just did. Their door was cracked but it was a wide crack. Carlisle was behind Esme, holding Esme in his arms and he kissed her neck softly.

"Carlisle…" Esme whispers.

"Mhm?" Carlisle mutters and he looks to her reflection in the mirror she was standing in front of.

"Do you think we are doing the right thing staying?" She asks looking into his eyes through the reflection of the mirror.

"Most voted to stay Esme, it's what they want." He reassures her.

"But, what if the girl tells? What if our family is in danger? What if we could leave and get Annabeth away from Andrew?" She says and something through me gets sad. She is worried, she is worried about me. I didn't like people being sad or worried because of me. I didn't like making Carlisle and Esme worry or upset.

"She won't tell and we aren't." Carlisle says first. "Annabeth didn't vote to leave. I'm sure she thought about it, but she didn't vote to go. She wanted to stay."

"What if she didn't vote to leave because other people didn't? What if she really is worried about Andrew?" Esme turns to Carlisle but stays in his arms. "What if Andrew hurts her? I can't lose her Carlisle. She is my daughter, what if he gets to her?" She says and sounds like she is going to cry (Of course vampires can't cry but we sometimes sound like it). Carlisle pulls her closer.

"Annabeth is brave, darling." Carlisle whispers. "And we aren't going to let him get to her. We are never going to lose her. Annabeth is strong." He kisses her then and I run to Edward's room. I wasn't sure why but I just rushed in, without knocking.

He wasn't in his room. His door that leads to the balcony is open so he probably went out. I sit on his white couch, I pull my legs to me, wrap my arms around them and rest my head on top of my knees. The wind from outside blows into the room and blows a couple of papers around. I want to cry, I wish I could cry. I close my eyes instead, and think about the feeling I used to feel when I cried.

I hear a thud from outside but I don't move.

"Annabeth?" Edward's sweet voice says and I look up to him. He closes the outside door and rushes to my side. "What are you doing?" His arms go around me as he slides beside me on the couch. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

I notice that it's just about completely dark outside. We would be going to hunt soon. "He thinks I'm brave," I mutter and I lower my head to rest on top of my knees again.

"Who does?" Edward asks.

"Carlisle." I say. "I'm not brave Edward. I'm so scared. I'm so scared Andrew is going to find me and get a hold of my mind again and this time I won't be able to get out." Edward rubs my back gently. "And Esme is worried about me. I hate making people worry about me."

Edward chuckles a little and I look up to him not sure why he chuckled. "Esme is always going to worry. It's the mother in her." He smiles. "And you are brave, you didn't vote to leave. I thought you would honestly."

"I didn't because I saw how happy Carlisle was today. I saw how much he loved what he did here. I couldn't take that away from him. Not just because some psycho is after me. I couldn't tell him I wanted him to leave all of that happiness behind." Edward starts rubbing my back again. "The people of Forks need him. He's the best doctor they've ever had. And Bella needs you…" I look down at the last part.

"Annabeth-" he starts.

"Edward, I know she needs you." I interrupt him. "You saved her life. I guess I'm going to have to get used to sharing you. She is who you went to go see just now right? You went to check on her?"

He nods. "But, it's not like that."

I nod, "Yes it is." I say and meet his dark, golden eyes. "It is like that Edward. She is even more intrigued by you now. And you are still intrigued by her. So I think I'm done trying to get you to forget about her. I'm exhausted from it and I've made no progress what so ever." I say. Edward's hand goes to a stray piece of hair that has fallen into my face and he moves it out of the way. He kisses my forehead then his eyes meet mine again. _I want to kiss him so bad. _He inches himself closer to me as if he's going to kiss me and then the door opens. We both quickly look to the door.

"Oh," Esme says and looks embarrassed. I jump off of the couch and walk to her. I run my hand through my hair trying to shake off what was just interrupted. "We are going hunting, Carlisle told me to come get you." She looks down. I smile and I go to her and loop my arm through hers and I lead her out. Once we get out I let Edward go downstairs first. Everyone was downstairs waiting. I stop her then I throw my arms around her. "Oh!" she exclaims shocked by the sudden force against her but then she hugs me back immediately after she realizes I was hugging her.

"I love you mom." I whisper to her but I don't let go just yet.

"I love you too darling." She whispers back and I hear the smile in her voice. I slowly pull away.

"I guess we should go," I shrug and I walk down the stairs. When I come down, Edward smiles to me. I put up my blockers realizing I had let them down. We all walk out together as a family. "Emmett, Jasper, and Edward, I'm just warning you I'm going to catch better game tonight." I smile.

"We'll see," Jasper smirks.

"Sure you are," Edward smiles a half smile to me.

"Bring it on little sis!" Emmett smiles big.

I laugh and I take off and run into the forest, I hear my family running behind me. I realize this is paradise, my family and I running through the forest all together smiling and joking. It couldn't get more perfect.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

I am walking with Emmett and Jasper. Edward had left earlier tonight, to go see Bella of course, and Emmett and Jasper wanted to go spy on him. I begged them to let me go, they didn't think it was a good idea, but I needed to go see them together.

I had witnessed little moments they had shared during school. Edward said they weren't together, he was just her friend, but I didn't buy that. I needed to see for myself.

As we run through the forest, Alice had a vision earlier of them in a clearing; I watch Jasper and Emmett pass certain looks like they are really worried. Emmett stops and so do I, Jasper stops after me. I hear whispering and giggling. I tense up. _Stop, you promised, no freaking out. _I whisper. I move a little bit closer and Emmett gives me a warning glance. I navigate between the tree branches and leaves so I can get a better look.

I spot them in the center of the clearing. They are both sitting, close together. Edward mumbles something and points up to the sky. I move closer when I realize I can't hear.

"It's beautiful," Bella chimes.

I notice the moon plays perfectly on his shape and seems to dance on top of his surface making him even more beautiful. Edward picks up a dandelion with thousands of little seeds begging to be set free and he holds it up to Bella.

"You should make a wish," he says musically and I know that she is into him. How could she not be? It would be merely impossible.

She waits a second and then she leans forward and blows on the dandelion and the seeds take flight. On cue, a wind blows through the forest and picks up the seeds and they continue their flight gracefully and dance around Edward and Bella. My heart yearns to be her at that moment.

She laughs a little and watches the seeds fall slowly. She turns to look at Edward slowly. Their eyes stay locked for moments and I know what is going to happen. She will either kiss him and he will kiss back, or he will kiss her. Either way ends in heartbreak for me.

Jasper's hand takes mine. I realize he had been beside me the whole time; I was just too focused on the scene playing out in front of me. He must have sensed my feelings. I give him a small smile and return to the viewing torture I seem to not be able to look away from.

Bella is moving closer, slowly. She must have decided she was going to kiss him. Her lips hit his awkwardly and I watch as he didn't pull away immediately. I feel as if my heart has sunk to my feet after it's been hit repeatedly over and over again. A lump forms in my throat as if I could cry. I gasp as the pain hits me like a thousand thundering trains and Edward pulls away and looks around the clearing. Jasper's hand clutches mine tighter. His amber eyes lock on mine. I can't move. He stands and it's as if everything is happening in slow motion. Jasper pulls on my hand trying to get me out of there. I give in and let him lead me away. I hear Edward's feet slowly thundering behind us. Emmett and Jasper begin to run, fast, Jasper still dragging me behind him. Edward's feet turn around and seem to run the other way as if he was returning to Bella.

My feet slowly begin functioning again and I can hold my own, running beside of Emmett and Jasper.

When we get back to the house, I let go of Jasper's hand. He looks to me with a nervous look. I force a small smile.

"Don't worry," I tell him and Emmett. "I just need some air." I say.

They look to each other before nodding and going inside without saying anything else. I look up to the house and think about going in, but I go against it and I turn and walk to the back of the house. I see Alice come out on one of the back decks but I see Jasper take her and lead her back in. He understands my heartbreak. He's experienced the feeling of betrayal. The difference is Jasper had a reason to believe that Maria loved him, she did play him. I, on the other hand have no signs that Edward returns my feelings, so I shouldn't be so heartbroken.

I walk over to one of the huge oak trees and I go to the side away from the house. I lean against it and I slide down it until I'm sitting on the ground. I bend my legs to my chest and I wrap my arms around them. I bury my face in between my knees and I try to get the image out of my head that keeps replaying over and over again.

After moments of silence a branch breaks from behind me and I snap my head up and look around. Edward looks to me shyly and continues his journey to the tree. When he arrives he leans up against it. I jump up and I put some distance between us. I look to the ground and then to him.

"Annabeth," he begins but I shake my head. I didn't want to hear it. I didn't want to hear his lies that he would say just to make me feel better. I didn't want anything to do with it. I shouldn't have gone. But I had to see it; I was so determined to see it. The lump forms in my throat again; it was a feeling I thought was gone for the rest of the night. Edward moves closer, I try to pull away but his hands rest on my arms. His eyes search mine, looking for answers. "Why were you out there?" He asks.

I shrug and swallow the lump down my throat. "I was just taking a walk. I heard giggling, and I was wondering who it was coming from. I guess I got my answer." I say.

"I didn't kiss her Annabeth." He says quietly.

"You have nothing to explain Edward." I say and try to walk away again but I fail when his arms tighten around me.

"You're right I don't." He says and I nod. "I mean since we aren't together or anything it doesn't really matter who I kiss right?"

I look up to him and I feel my lips quiver. He says it like it's my choice that we aren't together, like it's my fault and I'm on the brink of not being able to take it anymore.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

I'm trying to read him and figure out where he's taking this. I can't stop my lips from quivering. "Right." I finally say. "I don't care who you kiss. And you shouldn't care who I kiss." I realize this is going in the wrong direction, but I can't help it. I do it because I'm incredibly jealous right now and I hate how vulnerable he makes me.

He raises an eyebrow. "And who have you kissed?" He asks.

"Oh, Mike and a few other people." I say trying to sound nonchalant.

His eyebrow rises higher but he looks a little hurt. "Really?"

I nod. "Of course. Why would I lie about that? It might have been the best kiss I've ever had." I say to him.

Now he really seems hurt. "Well, I'm happy for you two. Let me know when the wedding is." He says and I realize he purposely threw those words out there because they were words I had said to him when I thought he and Tanya had rekindled a flame.

"Will do." I say trying to hide everything in my body that makes me want to collapse. "He might very well be the love of my life… or death as the case may be, since I'm not entirely living."

He seems really hurt now and possibly jealous. "Well, what I came over here to tell you was, I was about to pull away. I know you don't really care. But I was, if you hadn't have gasped, I would have pulled away. With Bella, it's not what I've always wanted. To be honest, I've always had this image of how the right person kissing you should feel, and that kiss wasn't it." He says, I'm about to speak but he stops me. "I know you think there's some huge romantic love story going on between Bella and I, and that's not true. I just wanted you to know that, before you start coming up with crazy stories to try to show me how much you don't care." He says and I had almost forgotten how well he knew me. He releases my arms and turns. He begins walking away.

I bite my bottom lip. "Wait!" I blurt. He slowly turns to me. "Those were all stories. I haven't kissed anyone, not since my change anyways." I say and he somewhat doesn't look surprised. He also looks relieved. I walk closer to him. "Because, well truth is, there's only one person I've thought of kissing my whole death existence." I say.

He gives me his famous perfect half smiles. "Do tell." He whispers.

I lean in close, inches away from him. "It's Emmett," I breathe and I smirk and look up to him. I shrug and then I start laughing. I run away from him. I hear him laugh and I hear him chasing me. Soon he wraps his arms around me (because I let him) and turns me to face him.

He leans his head down and his forehead rests on mine. "Why didn't you tell me?" He whispers.

"I thought you would judge me. I mean Emmett is married and all." I smile.

He smiles but looks down to me like he wants me to be serious. "All joking aside. Why didn't you tell me Annabeth?"

I shrug. "I thought you wouldn't like me back. I feared rejection. I feared losing my best friend. All of the normal reasons a girl doesn't tell a boy she likes him." I say.

I look up to him but I don't move because his forehead is rested on mine and this is the closest we've ever been and I don't want it to end.

We stand there for moments, each of our foreheads touching and taking in each other's closeness. Finally he makes a move, he gently guides me even closer to him, he leans down and at that moment I go breathless. A door slams shut and Edward and I both go stiff. I casually slide out of his arms but he stays close to me. I look up to see Alice leaning over the balcony that leads to my room. I glare at her and then I watch as she jumps onto the railing and then comes and joins us. She giggles but I'm still glaring at her. Jasper jumps down from where she was as well and runs to her.

He smirks to me. "I tried to stop her." He says. "But you know Alice." His smirk grows as his arm wrapped around her waist.

"I can't believe I almost missed it." She says.

I look to Jasper and beg him to take Alice somewhere else. He smirks at my feelings and he tries, he really does but Alice won't budge.

"It's weird," she says and comes out of Jasper's arms. She stands inches from Edward and I and walks around us and looks up to the sky and around us. "In my vision, it was different."

I look down at the mention of her visions of Edward and me. Edward clears his throat but it's more of a fake clearing of his throat. I look to him. "What vision?" He asks Alice.

At that moment, as if to get Alice a free escape, Carlisle came out and asked us all to go inside.

Alice looks to Jasper and then back to us. "Right, I almost forgot, I had a vision. Carlisle wanted to talk to all of us. See you inside." Alice says as Jasper leads her inside.

Edward and I begin walking towards the front door. When I'm certain Alice and Jasper have made it inside, I quickly grab Edward by the arm and pull him to the side of the house. I don't want to miss this opportunity. I stand on my tiptoes and my lips crash against his. His arms wrap around me and they lift me off the ground. He kisses me back passionately as if he wants more and he's wanted this for a long time. I wrap my arms around his neck. He guides me back and my back presses against the side of the house. His tongue grazes over my lips and I savor the taste of him, all of it, I want to remember this rush of so many feelings whirling inside of me, just in case this is just some lapse for him.

After a while I pull away, breathing deeply from the kiss that I didn't take a breath during. As vampires, we don't need oxygen, but it's a habit for me. I look to Edward and our eyes meet because he is looking at me as well. He's out of breath as well. His forehead rests on mine and he closes his eyes.

"All this time," he says breathlessly.

I smile and nod. "All this time." I repeat his words back to him.

"Edward? Annabeth?" Esme's voice calls.

I sigh. "Time to go," I say. He nods and reluctantly his arms come from around me and his forehead lifts off of mine. He takes my hand in his. I look to the hand and then I smile back up to him. "Are you sure?" I ask, knowing the meaning of him taking my hand after a kiss like that.

He smirks and nods. "I've never been surer of anything." He says.

I smile bigger and nod. He leads me out from around the corner and we walk up to the house together, as a couple.

**A/N: Hey, I'm sorry I haven't written in a long time. I've just been really busy. School just started back up. I'll try to get better. Hope you guys enjoyed. Review. (: Love you guys. **


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